The Lily
by sunscream
Summary: One night on a delivery, Arthur keeps seeing something outside of his car. It just might be the stress he's going through after his reoccurring nightmares or a sign that something bad is about to happen.


The snow was endless, like the trip. The heater did its best to warm the inside of the company van, but its only passengers were freezing alive. Arthur ducked to the steering wheel and blew gently on his numb hands. He had been assigned to deliver some packages to an electronics company and despite the warnings of severe weather and freezing cold winds he had ignored all the precautions and agreed to the job anyway. He needed all the money he could get. He had lost one of his two jobs about a month ago and though he wasn't feeling the strain financially yet, it was just a matter of time.

He kept a steady grip on the steering wheel; he had seen enough car accidents back home to understand driving under these conditions wasn't something to take lightly. He sighed as the CD in the compartment replayed itself again for the sixth time.

"Bro, are we there yet?" groaned his little brother, Alfred, in the back seat. He had finally bored himself playing video games for four hours. Arthur looked at the rear view mirror to spot the small child huddled in a mass of blankets looking at Arthur for a response. He sounded tired.

"No, maybe you should try taking a nap again."

"It won't work; I can't sleep with all the noise."

He was right; the wind slamming on the metal of the car was enough to keep anything awake.

"Well, I'm sorry but there really isn't anything I can do about the weather. Distract yourself with that device or better yet shouldn't you be reading for your class this September?" Behind, Alfred groaned. He was starting fourth grade that September. Because they had no relatives or anyone Arthur could rely on to look out for his younger sibling he quit high school, a year before graduating, and was forced to rely on a job and supporting Alfred that way. Arthur still had one year to try and retake senior year at his old high school instead of the alternative, work, which put a bigger strain on his responsibilities. He was working small jobs at the moment, but sooner or later he will have to get a real long-term job. That meant going to college would be virtually impossible. That fact hung high above his head. Taking care of his ten year old brother was his highest priority though.

Alfred just continued to groan in his seat.

"I don't know why you made me come with you," Alfred muttered as he lied back down. Arthur hesitated a bit, but answered.

"I can't leave you home alone. There's no one to leave you with."

Arthur had no friends to rely on; he was truly on his own in the world. Just him and his brother. There had been an accident when they were younger and they lost their parents. Arthur dropped out of school to make money and leave Alfred free to have a childhood as normal as it could be given the price he paid for surviving the incident. The small boy yelled.

"I'm big enough to look out for myself!"

"Hah, that's a funny joke. Sleep for now, pipsqueak. I promise I'll wake you up at the first sign of civilization."

"I want waffles for breakfast. Be careful, bro."

His small brother drifted into sleep. A few more miles and Arthur turned the headlights up even higher. He was thankful they weren't in the middle of a blizzard, or else he would have done everything to leave his baby brother behind. But he was confident he could get them through a few more hours of driving. This wasn't the first time this has happened after all. O0o0o0o0o0o0o

The clock struck 7 pm. Outside his window he saw the sun descend from the horizon behind the mountains. It would be intimidating to get lost in the wilderness at this time of the year. He was a man with a few abilities, and one he lacked was survival skills. He was barely making it in life back home paying bills and making ends meet. Arthur gripped the steering wheel tightly. He just wanted to get through this one delivery and sleep. Sleep was an escape from his duties, where he could give himself peace of mind without feeling bad because it was necessary in order to function properly.

"We're almost there," he whispered to himself as he continued to blow on his trembling hands.

In the thick of the woods a man dressed in white clothes paced in a steady rhythm. Behind him he dragged a thick white coat and over his long blond hair a hood. He saw another of the human's vehicles go by in the distance. A bright light overcame him, and then a white fox was in his place. It chased.

* * *

Arthur was surrounded by large blooming lilies. He woke up to see he was near the mouth of a large cave, it's entrance low and inside so dark he bet if he stepped in he couldn't see his own two hands. The lilies were symmetric to each other alongside the path leading to the ominous cave. He had never seen flowers so wide swaying gracefully with the wind before. If memory served right they certainly weren't supposed to be as big as his head. In curiosity Arthur reached out for one just. It was soft and delicate, a little too soft and delicate for something so large and menacing. He let his slim fingers travel down the bouquet of lilies to its stem. Suddenly at the end of his hand was not the stem of a beautiful flower, but of a bear's snout. Its black beady eyes stared up at him as his fingers touched the creature's snout. Arthur stares as his eyes grew large in horror, his face turning as white and pale as the lilies. The brown bear ascended high, towering twice as large as Arthur's height. It swooped down with its large claw intending to rip him apart. It roared angrily, Arthur screamed.

"Boom _it_ goes!" cried Alfred behind him. Suddenly Arthur snapped awake. He had been closing his eyes and for a brief minute was reliving a nightmare he had been having over the past months. He panted, breaking in a cold sweat. Tightly he grabbed on the steering wheel, he could slap himself for almost falling asleep.

Behind him Alfred was up and playing another one of his video games again. He seemed full of energy. Arthur brushed the thin strands on his forehead to the left and noticed it was now 10. It was time to stop for the night.

"Hey buddy, what do you say we make a small stop for the meantime?" smiled Arthur nervously as he looked up to the rear view mirror. Before he could get an answer he noticed two bright eyes that stared at him from behind the car. Arthur hit the gas without a second thought. He and Alfred bounced violently in their seats.

"Is something wrong? You seem…weird," questioned Alfred as he ducked his head between the two front seats to get a clearer view of his brother. For a twenty year old he was as nervous as a deer in hunting season.

"I'm fine, maybe I'll take that break a little more ahead in the road," assured Arthur with a weak grin. Alfred didn't believe him, but decided to stop bothering him and get back to his game. Arthur scratched at the top of both his hands, something he did whenever he was nervous or uncertain. That thing looked like it was literally attached to the back of the van. A second glimpse reassured him nothing was there. Maybe it was something from the road? Books he read for English class reminded him not to think of it as nothing, sometimes something means something whether it was imagined or not. He had to be careful; there were wild animals out here after all. He just needed a small break was all, sleep sounded very pleasant.

He looked back at Alfred playing his game, so he relaxed in his seat again, never realizing he was tense and stiff to begin with, and checked back on the GPS. According to the device in about 4 miles he was on his own. The GPS screen was cut off by static after that. Arthur lifted his glasses up.

"No."

He hit it, maybe to try and get it to work that way. It has never acted out before. It didn't budge.

"No."

He unplugged it, re-plugged it in. He smacked the back again; nothing. The same static black screen cut off half of his map.

"No!"

The van slowed down as he came to three different roads pointing to different directions. He leaned against his steering wheel, his hands trembling for something other than the cold overcoming his senses.

"Is it time for that break?" Alfred asked not looking up from his tiny screen. Arthur laid his forehead on the wheel and smiled weakly.

"Yes."

Arthur held his head down for a long pause. The GPS was broken and he was running on half a tank of gas. It would be a matter of time before he got lost taking one of the wrong roads; after all, he was made out of bad luck. He'd probably end up choosing the wrong road and land them to a dead end and waste the gas.

"Hey, did I print out a map to get there? To the place?" uttered Arthur tiredly. Alfred thought for a bit.

"You left it on the table."

"What?" Arthur turned to his brother in the back seat, his hands gripping the leather material as he leered at his younger sibling.

"Well you didn't tell me to look after it! You must've forgotten!" argued Alfred. He hated it when Arthur forgot things; Arthur always had a mind that wandered whenever he had a second to himself.

"We're lost aren't we?" mused his little brother. Arthur raised a finger, about to tell him something, but admitted defeat.

"Pretty much," he grumbled. Arthur laid his head on the passenger seat beside him. He was just tired and he'll leave this for future Arthur to deal with. Reaching for one of the blankets by his brother's feet he made himself comfortable.

"We can try calling someone."

"No signal," Arthur said raising his small phone with no bars.

"Shouldn't there be an emergency phone out here somewhere by the road?"

Arthur shot up and turned to Alfred.

"Your right, crap, I didn't think of that at all!" Arthur was smiling now; excited he looked at the GPS screen. Alfred peaked between the seats trying to see what his brother was looking for.

"You see anything bro?" the small boy squeaked behind him, trying to push past his shoulder to get on his lap. He noticed the black half of the screen. He raised a brow, that's not supposed to be there.

"According to this, there's one back the way we came from. Maybe about an hour walk," Arthur calculated holding a numb finger to the little green phone image alongside the road saying _'Emergency Phone'_ in green bold letters.

"Cool! What time should we go?" smiled Alfred bouncing in his seat. Arthur pushed him back and out of the way.

"This is an emergency not a fieldtrip. Besides I can't let you out there, with me or not. You'll be much safer here in the van."

Alfred frowned and shook at his brother's sleeve.

"What? No but I want to go! I don't want to be here by myself. Please take me with you," the boy begged smothering his sibling's arm. He was on the verge of tears. Arthur sighed dryly.

"You know better why I can't let you out there. It'll be hard carrying you on my back."

His young brother looked at the other end of the back seats, his wheelchair sat folded and untouched since the trip began. Alfred's shoulders slouched forward, a little guilty about his condition. Arthur felt the change of his brother's mood and pulled him to the front row by his side.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to make you feel that way. But ever since dad and mom's incident, I just can't take chances. I know it hurts to be left behind," Arthur paused remembering the car accident the rest of his family had been in, Alfred making it out alive paralyzed by the waist down, "but it will keep my mind at ease knowing you're safer in here. Do you understand?" He rubbed at his brother's hair, the strands of chestnut hair as soft as ever. Alfred leaned heavily into his brother's embrace. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply.

"Fine," he grunted. Arthur rubbed harder at his younger brother's hair smiling.

"That's a good pipsqueak. I'll make sure to get back as quickly as possible. The road is cleared from snow, so if you really have to, you can travel on it with your wheelchair. I'll try and be back by sundown."

"Yeah, because you're a chicken of the dark." Arthur nudged him playfully and Alfred laughed. He settled himself back in his seat and lied down. Arthur turned the car off and clicked the lights out. He too lied down with his thin blanket.

"Bro."

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

It's hard to dream, there is only darkness when his eyes close shut.

* * *

Arthur wakes up. He yawns and deeply breathes in cold air to get his senses working. Again no matter how hard he thought he did not dream. He sighs gently and turns to his side to look at the clock of the radio. It is 6, barely morning. He rises from his seat and wipes the window from the condensation. Outside is a winter wonderland with branches that look like arms reaching for the sun that peaks the mountains in the distance. It's time to go. He grabs a small bag and some essentials. He turns back to his brother and tosses his blanket over his small body. Opening the door gently, he makes a small prayer to keep his brother safe, hops off and leaves.

"Bye Arthur."

He's thankful it was windy. That was really the only thing to be thankful about. Arthur walked alongside the road with his hands tucked. The long red hair he usually wore tied back was under a large hat and under a hood; he probably looked like a hitchhiker. If he spotted a car maybe he could get directions from them. He couldn't forgive himself over his idiocy about forgetting his paper map. He could beat himself over and over about it. Looking at the ground for so long he heard a small noise. Arthur turned and spotted a small animal behind the white bushes. He stood there staring at its eyes. It was the same pair of eyes from last night.

"Uh, hey?" he nervously whispered giving it a weak smile. Behind his shades his eyes shook with fear. He didn't do well around animals. Heck, even dogs scared him.

A snout appeared, then a white face. It was a full grown fox that walked forward. It sat itself in front of its hiding spot, almost as if presenting itself. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank God, I thought you were something to be scared about. See ya pal, watch the car for me," laughed Arthur quietly.

He walked alongside the road for a few more yards until he noticed the creature following him from the thicket. A little nervous Arthur tried to walk fast, then increased his speed little by little as the fox went faster and faster to match his pace. Soon he reached the box and called. As he spoke explaining his predicament the fox suddenly looked up and behind the trail they came from. It sensed danger. It ran back the way it came. Arthur stared at the animal oddly and with a worried gaze looked back at the phone.

"Thank you and please get here as quick as you can," begged Arthur and hung up. He turned to try and speak to his companion but noticed he was nowhere in sight. He pulled his coat higher above his mouth and walked back.

As Arthur ran back he noticed a trail of animal tracks too big to be the foxes'. They were footprints twice his size; he spotted claw marks. Arthur's heart raced as he grew sick. He heard a scream.

"Alfred. Alfred…_Alfred_!" cried Arthur as he dashed back to the van.

He spotted his brother lying on the road, dragging himself away from the car. On the other side was a large bear, black with several scars of withstanding years of hunting and traps. Its head had a large pink scar running across the top of it. Arthur stood stiff; the car incident from all those years ago flashed through his memory.

"Arthur!" screamed his sibling. "I'm so sorry. I just wanted to go with you!" he was sobbing. Arthur felt his eyes become wet.

"Stay put, I'm coming to get you. Just stay put!"

He ran to him without a second thought after that. He scooped the poor boy, bruises on his face and dirt in the hair he loved so much, and held him close. Suddenly the bear turned a corner and spotted them. It paced towards them holding its jaws open wide. Its teeth were sharp like the edges of knives, its eyes ringed with a fury like nothing Arthur's ever seen could match. Arthur watched its wet tongue as it roared; inches away from his face. Alfred held on to him tighter.

"Run!" a deep voice yelled from behind.

Arthur opened his eyes and spotted something white flash across him. The dark shadow was gone and the bear was down. It was the small white fox that had been following him earlier. Arthur ran.

He ran and ran and ran. He would go even faster if he wasn't turning back to watch the animals.

"Arthur, I'm scared," sobbed his brother into his hair. They arrived at the pole with the phone. There he gently sat the boy down.

"I have to go back."

"But-,"

"I called, people are on their way. I'll be back. I love you," whispered Arthur as he gave his sibling one last hug and a kiss on the cheek. He ran back.

The fox had spoken to him; he knows it in his heart.

He arrived at the car, tired and breathing heavily. His lungs stung, Arthur could not tell whether they were incredibly hot or freezing. He looked around for the creature. The bear was gone. It left a trail of its destruction on the van. Arthur walked around the vehicle, pacing carefully. On the other side he spotted not a bear or white fox but a man in a thick white coat. He was covered in blood and was gasping for breath He leaned in to touch the man. After getting a firm grip he gently turned him around to his back. The man was unshaven, a fierce look of pain in his face, his blond hair dirty and badly matted.

"You saved us," uttered Arthur as he helped the man up. He took off his coat and tossed it over the man, "how can I ever repay you?"

The half man, half animal shook his head. He rose from the ground and returned the coat. Walking with a wince to his step he headed back into the forest. Arthur stared, not knowing how to react. He breathed in deeply and looked back to put his coat on. He found a lily in it.

* * *

**Edit: The half man half wolf was Francis. I am currently developing a second part to this story. **


End file.
